Dent Has Name For His Goal: Respect

PLATTEVILLE, WIS. — When Richard Dent was at Tennessee State, teammates gave him the nickname ``Dirty.`` As in Richard ``Dirty`` Dent.

``I liked that nickname,`` said the Bears` angular defensive end as he reminisced about his college days with a smile.

``I liked it because it didn`t really mean I was a dirty player, you know what I`m saying? It had a good meaning. It meant I was a good ballplayer.``

Last year, coach Mike Ditka gave Dent another name. He called him

``Robert.``

Now, in Dent`s mental dictionary, ``Robert`` is a dirty word with a negative connotation. Ditka`s attempt to motivate the 1985 Super Bowl MVP by referring to him as some fictitious person didn`t go over big with the 6-foot- 5-inch, 268-pound veteran.

A bad joke, Dent says. And it has gone far enough. Many fans on the street continue to call him ``Robert`` to get a rise out of him, he said.

``Don`t call me out of my name,`` warns Dent. ``If you want to motivate me, you have to treat me like a human being. Treat me like a man. You know, respect me. That`s not respecting me when you`re calling me another name. And you`re not going to get any respect from me if it`s him (Ditka) or if it`s people off the street.``

When outsiders deride Dent by calling him ``Robert,`` he says he tries to ignore them. ``If I turn around and say something to disrespect them, then I`m a jerk to them. But what are they being to me?

``I`m not a toy. My name is not to be teased with. If that`s the motivation (Ditka) has, then that`s not a good way. There`s better ways than that. To get the best out of people, you have to keep close to them.

``It`s like when I worked with these kids in the `Just Say No To Drugs`

program during the off-season. I was able to relate to them because I got on their level. It`s about respecting people.``

Ditka`s frustration with Dent last season had to do with his inconsistent play and absences from practices because of a lingering hamstring injury.

``I pulled a hamstring last year before I got to camp. That kind of slowed me up. This year, I had a little problem with it, but I didn`t pull it. I run very hard during the off-season, and things like that happen sometimes. But this year I feel great, I feel stronger.``

Dent wound up with 12 1/2 sacks last season to tie for second in the league and forced a team-high four fumbles. He had 4 1/2 sacks in the regular- season finale against the Los Angeles Raiders, the most in one game last year by a National Football League player.

Dent feels the sense of urgency in pro football is overdone.

``It`s all about fun. There`s no life and death with this thing,`` he said. ``So why be all choked up and uptight about something? If it doesn`t happen this year, you`ve got another year to do it. It`s not like the Olympics, where you have to wait every four years to win, you know. Just relax and enjoy.``

Dent has 59 1/2 sacks over the last four years and has led the Bears each season. He was the NFC sack leader in 1984 with 17 1/2 and had 17 in `85. Still, Dent says, constant criticism follows him.

``Last year, I heard some things about (WGN commentator) Dick Butkus saying Ditka should consider sitting me down, along with some other people,`` said Dent. ``I don`t know what it is they want. I`m going to do all I can do every time I hit the field.``

If the Bears` offense had scored more points last season, Dent said, there would have been more opportunities for sacks because opponents would have been forced to throw more.

``If we don`t get points on the board, I`m not going to get any sacks. If you`re playing a 9-6 game, the ball doesn`t have to go up.``

Dent says he doesn`t want to give the impression that he should be immune from criticism.

``I just want to be treated fair. If I`m not doing something right, then I look to be downsided. I can take the abuse, because I can respect (Ditka`s) word, I can respect your (media`s) word, if I don`t come up and get the quarterback. That`s my job.``

Dent, who grew up in Atlanta and did not start playing football competitively until he was a junior in high shool, admits he is able to turn his motivation level up a notch against certain teams.

``Some teams motivate you better than others. That`s just the way life is,`` he said. ``Each week is a different level. It`s like when we play the Redskins . . . they are the Super Bowl champions. It will be another level when we`re playing Tampa Bay. It`s night and day.

``It`s not the fact that Tampa Bay is going to be an easier game than Washington. It`s just that one is on the top and one is trying to reach the top. But I never have played so bad where I have to lose my job.``

Dent, 27, who was drafted on the eighth round in 1983, is starting his sixth pro season and feels he has several years left.

``You have to be motivated, and you have to have people around you who know how to motivate you,`` he said. ``And you have to have fun while you`re doing it.``

With William Perry out of action indefinitely because of an eating disorder, his scheduled move to defensive left end has been delayed. So Dent will have to carry the outside load with Al Harris in a front four that will have Steve McMichael and Dan Hampton at tackle.

``Football is about making changes and about trying to be better. Be a better person, a better player. I`m going to carry the team a little bit farther,`` Dent said.

``I feel like I`m the best at my job, the best in the league. But I may not get the recognition.``